Christ the King issued the following announcement on Feb. 19.

From the Parochial Administers Desk:

As our Gospel starts out this weekend, “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.’”

You see that was the greatest fear for the Jewish people, that their faith, their traditions that were steeped deep in the Torah, would be threatened by what Jesus was teaching. They weren’t sure if this man could be trusted, so it became much easier to doubt and discount him altogether. Their fear turned to anger, and their anger turned to murder.

This did not deter Jesus in the slightest. He knew his destiny and knew exactly how much time he had. So he kept going... telling us that the smallest inclination leads to the bigger issue (sin). That simply looking at someone may sound ok to us. But then that thought or image is taken home. It’s fantasized about and maybe leads us to act out in other ways. That is what Jesus is warning against. Something so simple and small leading to something not so small, but into sin. The example’s our Lord gives us shows us to think before acting.

In our act of contrition, we say “I firmly resolve with the help of your grace to sin no more an to avoid the near occasion of sin.” This is why we pray these words, so those near occasions of sin are recognized and are easier seen. It is when we can see them that we can then avoid them.

My friends, the lessons of life help us to grow in our faith. We fall, we repent, and we learn from our mistakes to hopefully not commit that same mistakes over and over again. Those lessons help us to mature in our relationship with Christ and become disciples that follow his teachings. He knows we are going to make mistakes, that’s why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. That non judgmental opportunity for each of us to unload the extra burden that we don’t need to carry around with us.

So when we look at our lives, we should see that we are not the same person we were just last year at this time. We see those small areas in our lives that have opened us up to be more, to give more, and to be that face of Jesus to others.

Have a blessed week,

Fr. Barry 

Original source: http://www.ctkspencer.net/parish-blog/from-the-desk-of-fr-barry-february-16-2020